DECEMBER.16.2007

JON SCHAFFER Comments Further On Matt's Return/Tim's Departure.

Hello
Dear Friends,

It will be sometime before I’m going to be doing press due to the
holidays and the fact that I’m still deep in the final writing process
of Part 2. I’m aware that the news of Matt coming back into to the
band has taken many people by surprise so I’ll try to explain the
situation a little better. I do love Tim’s voice and it is the kind
of voice I hear when I write, and he’s really cool person. And I
do not want an unnecessary war of words started because certain journalists
like to create controversy to sell their magazines. I love Tim as a person
and a musician, and I do not have negative feelings towards him at all.
We would all appreciate it if the trash peddlers would respect the situation
and keep their venomous speculations to themselves. An unlikely request
I’m sure, but it would be nice

On the other side, Matt and I are brothers and there was a very deep and
spiritual connection that came through in the music that we created and
performed together over the years. Iced Earth has always been about passion
and honesty in the music, I’m talking about real, raw emotion. That’s
what has always made the relationship between the band and the fans a very
special thing and it is the thing that made the chemistry that Matt and
I had together so special. When we split before, our relationship had suffered
from various things, but mostly it came down to not communicating like
we should have, which led to things being blown out of proportion. This,
coupled with the uncertainty of earning a secure living in the music business,
resulted in Matt coming to the decision that he did. I convinced him to
stay in the band, which he did, but it was clear that while tracking TGB,
he was already mentally finished with music and was moving on to different
things and to a more secure future. All of that is behind us and we have
grown and matured and will have an even more fulfilling relationship because
of what we’ve experienced and learned from the past.

Iced Earth activities will be more limited now because Matt will still
be carrying on his career as a law enforcement officer. I would rather
we do it this way and have the shows that happen be very special events
than to carry on and feel like what’s happening isn’t genuine.
This is NOT a cut on Tim. It’s just that Iced Earth really began
to blossom after Matt joined the band and for years we worked our asses
off together towards a common goal, on stage and off. Those years of work
and commitment defined what Iced Earth truly is, and frankly I would rather
end it than to carry on without Matt involved. All of this has been coming
to a head for a while, and the talks with the fans in Europe helped cement
what I already knew needed to happen. It’s one thing to be pressured
by our business partners for change, it’s something else entirely
when the fan base is overwhelmingly telling me the same thing. This decision
is by the fans/for the fans. I wish only the best for Tim, this is not
a standard bullshit statement, it’s the truth. A guy with so much
talent deserves the best in life and that’s what I wish for him completely.